Changes to Parliamentary Constituency Boundaries
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REPORT TO: FULL COUNCIL DATE: 22 SEPTEMBER 2011 TITLE: CHANGES TO PARLIAMENTARY CONSTITUENCY BOUNDARIES AUTHOR: MALCOLM MORLEY (CHIEF EXECUTIVE) 01279446000 RECOMMENDED that: (a) Councillors, who so wish , provide their views on the proposed changes to the parliamentary constituency boundaries to the Chief Executive by 11 November 2011. (b) The Chief Executive is given delegated authority to provide a detailed and coordinated response to the Boundary Commission for England on behalf of the Council. BACKGROUND 1 The Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Act 2011 received its Royal assent on 16 February 2011. As well as introducing the referendum on a proposal to move to the alternative voting system, which has already taken place, it also contained the proposals to revise the apportionment of parliamentary constituencies across the country. This will reduce the number of UK constituencies from the current 650 to 600. The effect in England is to reduce from 533 to 502. Every constituency in the country must meet an electoral number of within 5% either way of 76,641 (72,180 – 80,473). 2 The Boundary Commission for England (BCE) has now published its proposals (a copy of which is available in Contact Harlow and the Members Room or can be viewed on-line at: www.independent.gov.uk/boundarycommissionforengland )and started a major round of consultation on this re-organisation. Responses to the consultation need to be made by 5 December 2011. 3 At the last election the electoral number for the Harlow Constituency was just under 68,000. (Harlow itself made up around 59,250 of that number with the remainder coming from the four Epping Forest wards of Lower Nazeing, Roydon, Lower Sheering and Hastingwood, Matching and Sheering Village). The Harlow Constituency is thus well outside the permitted range which means that there would inevitably have to be fairly major revision to meet the new statutory requirements. 4 The constituency is surrounded by five other constituencies. At the last election: Epping Forest was just about 72,000 Saffron Walden was about 76,000 Brentwood and Ongar was just under 71,000 Hertford and Stortford was just over 78,000 Broxbourne was around 71,000. Of the six constituencies around and including Harlow only two fall within the new requirements. Harlow is the smallest. 5 The specific impacts of the Boundary Commission’s proposals for the Harlow constituency are attached at Appendix 1. Councillors will see that the proposal for Harlow is to add the three Uttlesford wards of Broad Oak and the Hallingburys, Hatfield Heath and The Rodings to the existing Harlow parliamentary constituency. The main immediate impact of this would merely appear to be that it will add to the logistic difficulties of managing a general election polling day and count with some significant distances and journeys from polling stations to a count venue. I understand that proposals elsewhere in the country (including other areas in the Eastern Region) have allowed for parliamentary constituencies to be changed to include areas outside of one county boundary. In Essex the Boundary Commission have said that this is not their initial intention 9 To enable the Council to respond to this consultation I am recommending that any interested Councillor send comments to me by 11 November 2011. I am also recommending that I have delegated authority to enable me to collate these responses and to forward them to the Boundary Commission. This does not prevent any Councillor, as an individual, from responding to the consultation. IMPLICATIONS Regeneration & Enterprise None Author: Cath Shaw, Assistant Chief Executive: Regeneration and Enterprise Regulation (includes Sustainability) None Author: Graeme Bloomer, Head of Regulation Finance None Author: Simon Freeman, Head of Finance Housing None Author: Andrew Murray, Head of Housing Community & Customer Services (includes Equalities and Social Inclusion) None Author: Lynn Seward, Head of Community and Customer Services Governance (includes HR and ICT) There are no specific implications in this report. Author: Mike White, Head of Governance .